Alekos Christou
by Soul X-Link
Summary: Living in "The Barracks" is suicidal; it's gang lord and mafia infested streets are more than enough to drive any man insane, or even leave them dead. However, the great detective Alekos Christou will help solve impossible murder cases, and hunt down the biggest syndicate ring leaders, in an attempt to save the city he once loved.


Denis 12

Naeem Denis

Prof. Reed

Paper Draft 1

September 26 2015

Alekos Christou and the Trapped Fly

The clouds were grey, and not a single ray from the sun could bleed through the dense fog that rested on the road. Glooming despair dwelled around the outskirts of Owlsburgh; as if the atmosphere itself knew that it was out of reach from the clutches of hell; a hell known as "The Barracks". The cities filth and crime radiated all around it, touching the air like poison. Leaving the roads that lead out of it black with blood.

In the midst of the fog, a vehicle (a black tucker 1948 model) recklessly zoomed through the thick fog, following the trail of a long, dusty dirt road. As it drove by the dying trees, a large arced gate seemed to drift into view from the distance. The car bumped and grinded to a stop, as its lights barely made out the large, antique black gate. An old, short and round man stepped out of the passenger's side of the car, and he approached the gate. He walked over to an intercom, and pushed a button that mad a voltaic buzzing sound.

The man returned to the car, and sat back inside it, waiting for the gates to open.

"I don't understand," Began the driver, a charismatic young white male in his mid-twenties, "Why the fuck we are out here driving in this stupid ass fog, when there is a crime that needs solving!"

The older man reached into his corduroy-brown sports jacket, revealing his gun. He grabbed an unopened pack of cigarettes from his inside pocket, and began to vigorously tap the bottom of the box. He then opened the pack and took a cigarette out, placing it in his mouth.

"We are here to solve a murder case Baines…" he muttered in his coarse Russian accent.

"The "Great Commissioner Ivanov" says he is here to solve a case. What a load of shit! All we are doing is wasting our time on some nobody" said Baines in a grouchy tone.

"You are still a rookie here, despite your service and training in the marines. You know nothing about the tricks of the trade. These criminals are not all black and white, or easy to understand. It takes a different breed of man to understand the filth that is "The Barracks."

The giant black arced gates creaked open. Baines began to drive along the dirt path once more, as he reached into his own black sports jacket to grab his lighter.

"Again with these fucking cigarettes…they will kill you," Baines said in a disgusted tone "As well as get its shitty odor confined in the leather seats of my car."

Commissioner Ivanov leaned over toward Baines, as Baines reached over to light his cigarette for him. Ivanov took two deep pulls on his cigarette, and exhaled out a ghastly puff of grey smoke, that escaped out an open car door window.

"Did you hear about that bullshit science convention thing happening this weekend?" Baines asked Ivanov.

Ivanov took a couple extra breaths of his cigarette.

"Yes," Ivanov wheezed, "It is supposed to be a display of exotic animals and insects from foreign countries. It is a very important event for upcoming science majors at the University of Owlsburgh. They do it every year"

Baines cringed, "Bugs give me the willies. Why the hell would people _willingly_ travel around with little fucking parasites in their bags?"

Ivanov chuckled lightly, tossing his already finished cigarette out of the car, "Are you not the Big Bad Marine man Baines Arklight? What? Are you scared of tiny insects and creepy crawlies now?"

"Shut up, old man!" Baines growled angrily, as they approached a large, gothic castle.

They drove around a huge rotary. Baines parked his car in front of the steps leading up to the front door of the castle, turning his car off. Both men stepped out of the car, and walked up the stone steps briskly leading to the entrance of the castle. When they approached the giant wooden doors, Ivanov could tell that it was already opened for them. He helped himself to walking inside, opening the door wide enough for the both of them. Baines stood hesitant, and waited. As Baines looked up, he could see that all around the top of the door were multiple spider webs, almost like a thick blanket or curtain above the door.

"What's the point of having a nuck if you're scared of bugs? C'mon, get in here!" Ivanov demanded in an annoyed, but hushed, tone.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! For fuck's sake…" Baines barked, as he steadily followed Ivanov's command.

As they walked in, Baines made sure that he closed the doors behind him. As he turned around to inspect the halls, much to Baines' surprise, he could tell that the inside of the house was smaller than it would appear from the outside. A double staircase lead to the top of the hall, leading to the upper level of the castle. The two men looked ahead, and saw a young man, playing a game of chess at a small table in between the double staircase. Ivanov walked over to him, and Baines followed suit.

"Always the dramatics, eh Alekos?" Ivanov chuckled, as he neared the man.

Alekos smiled warmly, "You know how I fancy theatre and the arts, commissioner," he said gracefully "Dramatically leaving the door open is a part of the anticipation; of meeting yours truly!" he said in a conceited tone.

"Alas, you have come at an amazingly good time as well! All of my maidens have left for the night, and I was abandoned to my own devices. Since then, I decided to play a fetching game of chess with myself to pass the time, but of course, it just came to a grand end."

Baines snorted, "Who won asshole?" he asked sarcastically.

Alekos smiled conceitedly, "Well, I did of course, you miserable dolt" he retorted bluntly.

Baines was shocked by the way Alekos answered back, and began to get angry, "Why you fucking piece of-!" Baines muttered, as he furiously made his way towards Alekos.

Commissioner Ivanov held out his hand, stopping Baines from advancing further, shaking his head no.

Baines looked back at Alekos, who was still smiling conceitedly.

"Hmph!" Alekos laughed to himself.

"Tch! Cheeky brat!" replied Baines.

"Alekos. I am sure you are aware, but this visit, is not entirely of happy tidings…" Commissioner Ivanov said wearily.

Alekos nodded, "Indeed, I can sense it by your intimidating demeanor. Your years of work on the force shows, Commissioner…but who is the ex-marine?" Alekos asked.

Baines was surprised, since he had never met with Alekos before.

"How the fuck did you know that I was a marine? Surely, you've spoken to Ivanov about me before?" he asked in a dumbfounded tone.

Alekos chuckled lightly, "My, my. You _are_ an idiot. I don't ever ask questions I know the answers too. Deducing that you are an ex-marine was very simple,"

Alekos pointed to the outside of a window. When both men turned to look outside, they could clearly see Baines' tucker 1948 vehicle.

"My first clue, was your choice in vehicle," he began, "It is still a relatively new make, which was made less than about a year ago. Only 51 of these models were made; production being cut off due to bad publicity. This vehicle, because of its rarity, was given to high ranking officers in the Marine Corps. This signifies that your family must be of a rich background or Marine decent. But of course, you simply having a car that any rich kid could buy off of a veteran, or, you having a family member, whom might be a marine, are very acceptable variables. So I waited for some more information…"

Alekos leaned back into his chair, crossing his legs "Secondly, I could hear you, as well as see you, from the moment you walked up my steps and came through my door. This is my true intention of leaving my door open when I know important guests are coming over. Your language is filthy, which most marine men grow accustomed to, since you are constantly being berated by overseeing officers. That would also explain why you immediately followed Ivanov's order to come inside without question; despite the fact that you were scared of the spiders above my door. However, even then it could be an acceptable thought that you are just an ill-mannered man with a bad temper, oh and anyone can be scared of spiders,"

Baines grunted, "Kid, that all seems like it was well fucking thought out, but there is no way you knew I was an ex-marine based of that evidence alone!"

"True as that may be, my hunches were indeed all correct, since you did not deny them. Furthermore, there are a couple more reasons why I knew you were a marine. Ivanov, as he walked in, stated that you specifically had a 'nuck'. NUC's, which are pronounced 'nucks', are special awards Marines are given when they gain the Bronze Star Medal; for being in active combat. This was what solidified my suspicions." Alekos said with a confident grin.

Baines was shocked, "Not bad…that's some great awareness. Ivanov didn't even say that loudly at all. It's impressive you could even hear him say that from there with his wheezy voice and thick ass accent"

Commissioner Ivanov glared at Baines. Baines looked at Ivanov and chuckled.

"You know it's true, you old fart" he said jokingly.

Alekos shook his head, "You fail to see the biggest clue of them all that helped me affirm your status" Alekos scoffed.

"Oh, yea fuck face," Baines said taking the bait, "And what's that?"

Alekos looked Baines in the eye, "You just told me you were."

Baines was ready to laugh, but then paused, as he began to think about it.

"From the beginning, you said that I was an "ex-marine" but then I questioned you about how you knew…" Baines said, pondering aloud.

"Precisely, if you reverse engineer that question, you basically told me that I was right, and that you are in fact, ex-marine." Alekos finished.

Commissioner Ivanov chuckled, "That was a great show you gave us, but can we please get down to business," He began, as he walked over to Alekos, handing him some documents.

"Here in my arms I have the documents about our latest case…"

Alekos opened the folder, and began looking through its contents thoroughly observing every picture and article.

"Please, tell me what happened in great detail. Leave nothing out of course," Alekos said, as he turned the pages.

"Jameson Phillips, our number one suspect, is convicted of the murder of Emily Watson. It turns out, that Mr. Phillips and Ms. Watson were out on a date, doing whatever couples do. The date took a more romantic turn, as the two are caught on camera engaging in mouth to mouth pleasures. They were walking out of a restaurant at the time, and it was visible on screen that Phillips shared with Ms. Watson what appeared to be perfume."

"So you assumed it was a poison, of course…" Alekos said in a monotone voice, analyzing the story carefully.

"You could say that, but then why would she be alive for more than 6 hours? That's gotta be the worst fucking poison created in existence," growled Baines.

"The relevance in that statement is that Phillips and Ms. Watson went back to Phillips' place some six hours later. We have confirmed surveillance of their whereabouts beforehand, but those locations were crowded with people, leaving no room for a murder to take place," began Ivanov,

"Impossible to commit a crime like that in a busy area without any witnesses. So it's clear this incident took place within the safety of Phillips' home" Alekos finished.

Commissioner Ivanov nodded, and continued with his story. "Witnesses confirmed that there was screaming heard from within the house. When my force got there, we barged into the home and burst through every door. When we finally found the right room, Ms. Watson was already laying on the bed, dead. Phillips took off long before we even got there. The kid was terrified, and he even pissed his pants when we eventually found him, screaming "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Autopsy reports no signs of force, no signs of struggle, and we were also unable to find any stab wounds or hand marks on the victim. However, there was a curious red swelling on her right arm, of unknown origin. It was labeled to be a rash. We questioned Phillips relentlessly about the odd swelling, and Ms. Watson's death. We even subjected him to a lie detector test, asking "Did you kill Emily Watson,"

Commissioner Ivanov reached back into his inner pocket to grab another cigarette, and set it ablaze to smoke. He took a few pulls of it, and continued his story, "The test turned up positive, confirming that he himself did not do it. We know he did it, or he at least had some stake in her death, but we still don't know how."

Alekos looked at the pictures of the room, carefully analyzing every detail. He then took a deep breath, and sighed. "You didn't tell me everything Commissioner. There has to be one more piece to the puzzle, before I can wrap this up…" Alekos stood up, holding the folder in one hand and placing the other on his chin, deep in thought. The room grew dense and quite, as the three men thought deeply about the case.

"The body had a strand of some kind of string or hair on it…" Alekos said quietly, as he reviewed the papers in the folder.

"Oh yes, one of the officers spoke of some kind of string that lead to the woman's back. But when we took a closer look, the thread seemed to vanish," wheezed Ivanov through the smoke of his cigarette.

"The motive is all there! This fucker had a room full of pictures of poor Ms. Watson. He stalked her! For months! Everywhere she went he followed her, and took photos…even writing everything down in a journal! The sick fuck…" Baines said in a disgusted tone, "We know it was him, but we just can't pin it on him…what a weird fucking _nerd_ "

Alekos quickly turned around, "What did you say Phillips' occupation was?" he asked suddenly.

Ivanov and Baines looked at Alekos with confused expressions. "He is a football player at the University of Owlsburgh, he's their secondary quarterback. After Last year's national win, they were ranked the best players in the country. However, Phillips excels in the science department, and he studies different kinds of insects. He was inevitably a bench warmer, and likely wasn't as popular as the other players."

Alekos smiled and chuckled to himself, "Alas, how could I have been so blind…" he turned to the two detectives, and with confidence he began to speak:

"Do either of you know the ancient asian myth of Joro-Gumo?" he asked.

Both the detectives shook their heads no, "Never heard of it," said Baines.

Alekos nodded, "Joro-Gumo is a spider, which after 400 years of living, receives mythical powers. It was once believed that these spiders would then transform into beautiful woman. They would seduce men into their webs, ensnare them, and devour their very flesh and souls."

Baines grew fed up and annoyed, "Yea, what the hell does that have to do with Phillips asshole?" he barked, "Get to the point!"

Alekos nodded, "You see, he tailed Ms. Watson for quite some time, finally using his football status to reel her in. Once that was done, his lust for her was ready for the next phase. Unsatisfied with just dating, he planned on subduing her, to keep her body paralyzed for some more "fun" after their date. Observe…"

Alekos tossed the pictures onto the table, causing them to scatter across its surface. He then pointed out, right above the bed, was a small square opening. It was sealed with what appeared to be a glass window, and an electric lock.

"Are you saying that the little compartment above the bed in his room held some sort of mythical creature that killed Ms. Watson?" Ivanov asked.

"Heavens no, it's much more realistic than that. However, it did hold a creature that would administer death's touch. You see, this week is the week of the exotic animals and insects display. Phillips meant to use one of those rare and poisonous spiders to subdue Ms. Watson indefinitely. The perfume he used on her was not just to add a pleasurable scent, but it was to lace her with _pheromones._ He used his set of keys to the science display room, and stole one of the spiders, encasing it in the confinements of that compartment. When he finally had her come over, all he had to do was get her to stay in his room, and unlock the case to let the spider roam free. Attracted to the Pheromones, the spider made its way to Ms. Watson, giving her a fatal bite, on her right arm. The vanishing thread that you found on her back was simply the spider's web trail, which it must have used to retreat."

The Commissioner was dumbfounded by this analysis, but Baines didn't buy it. Baines grabbed his radio from his waist, "10-4, we need another investigative sweep of the house on 215 Street in regards to Emily Watson's murder. Tell them to look for a spider, and PROCEED WITH CAUTION, it is apparently venomous!"

Baines turned to Alekos, "That's some story…To be honest, I don't buy the whole thing. You're saying this kid lured this broad into some sort of trap, and used a spider as some sort of indirect assassin? You watch too many shitty sci-fi movies" Baines scoffed.

Alekos sighed, "You miss the point, I never said that he intended to murder Miss Watson, only to subdue her, to take advantage. Most spider bites are not directly harmful to humans, even after a bite. The bite was merely to weaken her, with an untraceable poison. However, I believe that Miss Watson had an allergic reaction to the bite. Panicked, Phillips saw that she was convulsing and dying, so he took off, wanting nothing to do with the entire situation."

Commissioner Ivanov chuckled, "Impressive, Alekos, you've done it again. The intent here was not as gruesome as most, but it was indeed a crime nonetheless. How this kid is sentenced is out of our hands…but I am sure justice will prevail."

"Don't tell me you're buying this crap!?" Baines retorted, reluctantly.

Ivanov nodded, "It all adds up, the evidence is there in the pictures. All that is left to do is to find-"

"KSSH- This is squadron 17A- Over," came in a voltaic sounding voice over the officers' radio.

Baines reached for his radio hastily, pushing a button to respond, "I hear ya, waddya got?"

There was a brief silence, "KSSH- we interestingly enough found a weird black and yellow spider, it was hiding inside the closet. One of our men got bit, and he's being rushed to the hospital. We got this sonofabitch- Over"

Commissioner Ivanov started walking towards the door, as he chuckled to himself, "I thank you for your assistance once again, Detective Christou, your deductive skills are terrifyingly on point. Oh by the way, Baines…"

Ivanov turned around to look at Baines and Alekos, "Say hello to your new partner," he said laughing once more.

Baines turned around to look at Alekos with shock, as Alekos simply smiled.

"I look forward to working with you, _partner_ ," Alekos said with a conceited grin,


End file.
